Can we get a hybrid name for vegetable noodles? Just, an all-encompassing vegetable noodle term? This recipe title is too long, for goodness sake. You guys are familiar with these things though, right? Swoodles and zoodles are spiralized sweet potatoes and zucchini. In this recipe, they’re teaming up with some thinly sliced bell pepper, jalapeño, and onion, lightly sautéd until they’re tender but still have some bite. I like to retain a tiny bit of crunch in the veggies so they stand up well to the creamy sauce. Ooo- that Spicy Peanut Sauce; we’ll discuss that in a second. Look how stinkin’ pretty the spiralized veggies are:
Without a spiralizer, I don’t think you’ll get the same noodley effect as these perfectly uniform, curly strands of veg. The kind of spiralizer I use is about $25 on Amazon; it also has mandolin blades for thinly slicing the heck out of things. The brand is Mueller and you can look at it here. 👈That is an affiliate link, which I may earn money from.
Sigh. Look how delicious this looks:
Let’s talk sauce for a moment. Spicy Peanut Sauce is like the cool kid in high school; smooth, charismatic, and friends with everyone. Sweet and creamy peanut butter, a good dose of salty soy sauce, some spicy chili sauce, vinegar, and a bit of honey to round it all out. What you get is a thick, silky sauce that really packs a punch and is the perfect cool-kid best friend to these kinda shy, but sweet veggie noodles.
delicious now and later
You may be surprised to hear that this dish actually keeps well in the fridge for 3-4 days. I thought the “noodles” would get watery but I was perfectly happy eating them, cold, out of the container two days later, and again for lunch the day after that.
Full disclosure: I ate ALL the leftovers because Joey was not into this dish. I’m not too proud to tell you that. Listen, it’s fine, he doesn’t love vegetables masquerading as noodles. I get it. Also, I’d added some seared tofu, which he finds disappointing and pointless. You guys, feel free to add any protein you like to these swoodles and zoodles, or none at all. Whatever makes you happy!
Just make sure to finish the whole thing with a big, fat shower of cilantro, green onions, and chopped peanuts and, unless you’re my husband, you’re in for a bowlful you cannot resist.😉
PrintSwoodles and Zoodles with Spicy Peanut Sauce
Ribbons of spiralized sweet potato and zucchini noodles, peppers, and onions coated in a silky Spicy Peanut Sauce. Add chicken, steak, tofu, or enjoy them just as they are!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner, Lunch
- Method: Spiralize
- Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients
For the sauce
- 1/4 C creamy peanut butter
- 2 TBS soy sauce
- 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
- 2 1/4 tsp honey
- 1 TBS sambal oelek (Asian chili sauce) *add more if you like it very spicy
- 2 TBS water
for the rest
- 1 TBS vegetable oil
- 1 sweet potato, peeled and spiralized
- 1 zucchini, peeled and spiralized
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and thinly sliced *leave the seeds in if you want it very spicy
- 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
for garnish
- scallions, thinly sliced
- cilantro, chopped
- roasted, salted peanuts, chopped
Instructions
- Combine all sauce ingredients in a bowl, whisking to combine, and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, then add the spiralized sweet potato and zucchini, bell pepper, and jalapeño. Cook, tossing with tongs, until the vegetables just begin to get soft – about 6 minutes.
- Add the sauce to the vegetables and cook another minute or two until heated through, tossing to coat the vegetables. Serve with scallions, cilantro, and chopped peanuts on top.
Notes
I use a Mueller spiralizer. If you’ve never used one before, just peel your vegetables, cut them in half width wise, and trim the ends off so you have a flat surface to attach to the spiralizer. On a Mueller, you just have to mash the pointy side of the handle into the end of the vegetable and start spinning!
Keywords: Easy, spiralized, vegetarian
Ready to try another swoodle recipe? Check out this one, with chicken and coconut milk!